Degenerate
by Miss American Pie
Summary: When the Fang Gang gets called to Sunnydale to help battle the First, relationships and old rivalries begin popping up everywhere! First in the Redemption Trilogy! FaithWesley. AngelCordy. Spuffy. GunnFred. Oh, and plenty of surprises!
1. Compensation

Disclaimer: I own Aurelius, Alexia, and Hope, but that's it.

Part One of the Redemption Series.

Degenerate- somebody who is in bad condition, especially as a result of immoral behavior.

This story of the series basically focuses on Wesley and Faith, the next story? Well, you'll have to read this one first.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: My own, special little AU story. This is what should have happened in Season 4, although my apologies for not saving us from the yucky Cordy/Connor scene, just close your eyes, it'll be okay. Oh, Fred and Gunn are still together.

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Los Angeles, California, April 16, 2003

Standing outside on the glass doors, and leaning over the railing, Faith could smell the garden in the back of the old hotel. It was in full bloom this time of year, and wreaked of jasmine. Beside her, Angel leaned against the railing, thinking through the proposition she had just presented him with.

"Go with you to Sunnydale?"

Nodding again, Faith shifted, uncomfortably. She really didn't know why she had asked Angel to bring the Fang Gang to Sunnydale. Maybe she just missed the old days, when they all fought together in one city, or maybe she had alternative motives, that weren't even clear to her, yet.

"That's a. . .long way from Los Angeles. I mean, could turn day before we get there."

"I highly doubt it, Angel, and so do you. Come on, you know you could use a vacation. A deadly, world-saving, could get you killed vacation. I highly recommend them over the Bahamas any day."

Rolling his eyes, Angel looked around the garden, hoping an answer would pop out of thin air.

"I dunno. . .there's the sun, there's the girls, there's. . ."

"Buffy."

"That's not what I was. . .okay, I was getting to her."

"What are you so afraid of? You and B have been over for years."

"Yeah, but, we're not _really_ over. I mean, a love like that. . .okay, we're over."

"I thought so, and you know, it's good that you're finally able to admit it, I mean, it's not healthy to hang on."

Raising and eyebrow to her, Angel looked back at the ground.

"I don't know about Sunnydale."

"Why not? I mean, other than Buffy, why not?"

"I was evil, Faith, I could turn evil again, and attack all those girls."

"Not unless you fell in love with one of them, and bedded 'em, and let's face it, the chance of that happening twice is just. . .it's not possible."

"I just don't. . ."

"You know, this is going to take all night. So, why don't you just say yes, save me from having to kick your ass, and throw you in the back of Willow's car, and we'll go."

Looking at her, with his mouth hanging open, Angel snapped out of it when she took his hand, and began pulling him back into the hotel to tell the others of their decision.

"You'd really kick my ass AND throw me in the back of Willow's car?"

Rolling her eyes, Faith came back into the lobby to see Willow and Wesley cleaning from the spell, and Fred and Gunn sitting on the lobby sofa, snuggling. For some reason, she got the vibe that Wesley didn't like this at all, though, it may have been the glares, he sent their way over his shoulder every now and then, that tipped her off.

"Angel has an announcement."

"I do? Oh, yeah, we're all going to Sunnydale to help defeat the First thing."

"Sunnydale?"

"Yeah."

"When?"

"An hour. Could you let Cordy and Connor know, please?"

Rushing upstairs, hand-in-hand with Gunn, Fred panicked. She had to pack, right now, and Cordy and Connor had to know. Turning to Wesley, Faith saw his eyes follow them.

"Aren't you gonna go back to your place and pack, Wes?"

"Yes, I was, right now, actually."

As he walked away, Faith stepped towards him.

"Do you need some help?"

"I think I can handle it, thanks."

"Well, you know, I mean, I could drive you."

"That's okay, Faith, I'm not drunk, and the designated driver is really not needed."

"Well, can I tag along, then?"

Fixing her with a serious look, Wesley nodded after a moment of considering it. If he had some help, things might get done faster, plus, he really didn't want to stick around and have to watch Fred and Gunn cuddle one another, and Faith was taking up his time with arguing.

Walking, briskly, to his SUV outside the Hyperion, Wesley walked around to the driver's side, and climbed in, joined by Faith a moment later. Starting the car, and pulling away from the curb, Wesley appreciated Faith staying quiet, at least for a moment.

She decided to break the awkward silence half-way to his apartment.

"Do you have a thing for Fred?"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"Di. . .is that any of your business?"

"Well, since you can't keep your eyes off her, then, yes, I'm making it my business. Do you?"

"Perhaps, but I'm not telling you."

"Wesley, you're broadcasting it for all of Los Angeles to see."

"What do you mean? I'm not _broadcasting_ anything."

"No, your just _broodcasting_."

"Maybe we shouldn't talk for the rest of this ride."

"No, you have some serious emotions you need to get out, and I'm here to talk about them."

"Thank you, Doctor, but please, wait in the car."

Pulling up to his parking spot, beside the sidewalk, Wesley got out, making sure to take his keys with him. To his dismay, Faith followed him. Quickening his pace, he unlocked his apartment door, and Faith followed.

Going into his room, he grabbed a suitcase, and began throwing clothing in it, all while Faith watched from the doorway. Turning, he grabbed some boxers from his dresser, and threw them in there, then, slammed it shut, only having difficulties, because it was so full.

"Here, let me. . ."

"I've got it."

Stepping back, with her hands in the air in surrender, Faith had to smile at how frustrated Wesley was. Turning to her, and seeing her smile made him feel like an idiot. Here he was, standing in the middle of his apartment, pissed off at a suitcase and now, at the woman, who was giggling at him.

"What!"

Pushing him aside, Faith opened the suitcase and began folding the clothing, then, laid it neatly in the open suitcase, and shut it with a snap. Turning to him with a smug smile on her face, Faith found herself being kissed a moment later.

Kissing him back, and surprised at how much she was enjoying herself, Faith, instinctively, began taking off his black dress shirt, ripping it open, and sending buttons everywhere.

Pushing him onto his bed, she stood, looking at him. He was muscular under all those clothes, with a very nice chest and stomach. She was going to enjoy this, and she knew it.

"You know, Faith, I expect a little compensation for that shirt, it was one of my favorites."

Climbing on top of him, and straddling him, Faith smiled. How long had she wanted this? Had she wanted to bang the Sunnydale Wes? Leaning down, she kissed him, and he began taking off her shirt.

As she un-did his belt, he pulled his mouth away from hers.

"You're sure you want this?"

"If I didn't want to, would I being doing it?"

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An hour later, the two returned, Wesley, in a new gray, long-sleeve shirt, carried his suitcase to the front desk, and looked around at all the curious faces of his friends, Faith followed him in a moment later.

"What's wrong?"

"It's Cordy, she's pregnant. . .with Conner's child."

Wesley grimaced as he heard this, but Faith looked indifferent, she was still on cloud nine from her and Wesley's little romp.

"So. . .that means they. . ."

"Yes!"

"Oh, and what are we going to do?"

"Well. . ."

"We have to let my baby be born."

Looking up at Cordy, who was standing on the stairs and holding her stomach, Wesley grimaced, she looked as if she was nine months pregnant and this baby was ready to come anytime.

"Cordelia."

"Yes, Wesley, I'm pregnant with a beautiful life."

"But. . .when?"

"The rain of fire, Conner and I, we're in love."

"But, how. . ."

"Well, Conner and I are both mystical, maybe the baby is, too."

"I see. . .but this should still be researched."

"Yes, I agree, we can't go to Sunnydale."

"But B nee. . ."

"Buffy can handle it on her own, I mean, she's saved the world how many times?"

"A lot, but this is different, this is the first evil, the main evil, the big kahuna!"

"Willow, don't you think you can handle it?"

"I. . .no."

"I agree with Willow, we need to be there, but we need to look into Cordelia's pregnancy, as well. I'll bring some of my books."

Disappearing into the office, Wesley left the group for a moment, in which Angel spent his time glaring at Conner and Cordelia. Coming back from his office, Wesley smiled to Faith, even in this situation, he couldn't forget what they had just done. Had he been wanting that for some time?

"Yes, I'll research it while we're riding to Sunnydale."

"Great, Cordelia can sit up front, and you, Angel, and Faith can sit in the back and research. I mean, if Conner doesn't mind riding with Gunn and Fred, and if they don't mind riding with him."

Picking up a battle ax, Gunn shook his head.

"No, no problem having Conner ride with us."

"What about Lorne?"

"He's offered to stay behind, and look after the place."

"Alright."

"Are we ready to go?"

"Yeah, we're ready."

Saying their goodbyes to Lorne, the Fang Gang, Willow, and Faith made their way out to their assigned cars. Faith situated herself between Wesley and Angel, and Willow and Cordelia climbed in the front seat.

"Alright, buckle up, the road to Sunnydale is a bumpy one."

All three knew this was true, not in the literal sense, but who knew what dangers lay ahead.

"So, Willow, care to fill us in on the full situation?"

"Well, we have an uber vampire, really strange things going on, a bunch of girls living in Buffy's house, we're traing them, and Buffy's a counselor at Dawnie's school, now."

"Really? A counselor?"

"Yeah."

As Angel and Willow chatted, Faith and Wesley shared a lustful look with one another. Oh, the first rest stop they hit, Wesley vowed that no matter how dirty it was, he was getting Faith out of those jeans again.

Surprising him by laying her head on his shoulder, Faith smiled up at him.

"Damn, I'm so tired."

Smiling to one another, they thought they had a little secret, but Angel's vampire senses, and Willow's Wicca senses had picked up on what had happened, the moment the two stepped foot in the hotel lobby. Of course, little did anyone know at the time, that it was more than just lust that held Faith and Wesley together. They had something much deeper.

Of course, this would be put off by the plot Cordelia, or rather the entity posing as Cordelia, had in mind for the Fang Gang and Scoobies. The enemy was among them.


	2. Shattered Mirror

Disclaimer: I own Aurelius, Alexia, and Hope, but that's it.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: In the previous chapter of Degenerate. . .our heroes were off to Sunnydale to help Buffy defeat the First. Cordelia's pregnant with Conner's child in her womb, Wesley and Faith are shagging, and the plot thickens, we are, after all, in Sunnydale! Story's fast paced, and I post a lot, so, keep up!

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Driving along in silence, with just an old green pick-up truck ahead of them, and Gunn's blue truck behind them Wesley, Cordelia, Willow, and Faith were all near sleep. Angel, however, seemed restless, he couldn't wait to get to Sunnydale and see Buffy again.

Faith's head was still resting on Wesley's shoulder, and her hands would stray every so often to his stomach, where she would tease him by trailing down to his pants zipper, but never do anything for fear of being caught by one of the other occupants of the car.

Wesley, himself, was looking over a book, and trying to ignore Faith at the same time. Even though he had changed so much, he didn't want Angel and the others to see them fooling around.

"Willow?"

"Yeah?"

"Are there any stops anywhere?"

"Gee, Wes, you should have gone before we left."

Faith smiled to him, and actually un-did his zipper.

"Yes, well, I didn't have to go, then."

"Yeah, sure, Wesley, I think there's a gas station a couple miles up. Can you wait?"

Sighing, and slapping Faith's hand away, Wesley went back to his book.

"I suppose."

"You know, I think you guys will be a big help, I mean, I know Buffy will really appreciate it."

"Has she changed a lot since our Sunnydale days?"

"Not really, she's buff, you know?"

Smiling at her own joke, Willow looked around the car to find no one else laughing.

"Get it, she's buff? Oh, neverm. . ."

Suddenly, a girl came flying out of the car in front of them, causing Willow to do a fish tail in the road, and Gunn to barely miss crashing into her. Rushing out of the car, Faith, who had crawled over Wesley, was followed by Willow, Angel, and Wesley as they ran to the girl.

Stooping down, Wesley felt her pulse.

"Oh God, she's still alive."

Willow could barely make out the tail lights of the truck as it rounded a bend a couple hundred yards up the road.

"She's been stabbed, we need to get her to a hospital!"

Lifting her into his arms, Angel carried the girl back to their car, just as Gunn, Conner, and Fred came running up to them.

"What happened?"

"A girl, she was thrown out of that truck."

"You're kiddin' me."

"No, and someone stabbed her, too, come on, we have to hurry!"

Rushing back to their car, the three climbed in the back seat with the girl resting on their laps. Faith trying to calm the sobbing girl. Willow started the car again, and they sped off down the road.

"God, I didn't miss Sunnydale."

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Three hours later, the girl had been taken into the hospital, and was now resting, while Willow tried to collect her information, and the others sat on plush hospital chairs in the lounge. Buffy was supposed to be meeting them soon with some of the other potentials, and Giles.

"I can't believe it! Who would throw a fourteen-year-old girl out of a car after she'd been stabbed and burned? Have you found any references to that mark yet, Wes?"

Wesley wiped his eyes, and yawned, stretching his long arms.

"Not yet."

Smiling at how tired he was, Faith reached her hand over, and took his.

"Maybe you should get some sleep."

"Now? No. All I need is some coffee."

Jerking his hand away from hers, Wesley went back to his book as Angel, Fred, and Gunn returned with coffee and sugary snacks, one of which Fred had already opened and was now eating the chocolate filling.

"Where are Conner and Cordelia?"

"Oh, she said she was having. . .well, she didn't really say, they just disappeared, said they'd be back in a minute, they probably just wanted some alone time."

Handing Wesley his coffee, Angel grimaced and looked around for any sign of his son and the seer. Nothing.

"Has Willow gotten anything, yet?"

"Negative."

The red-haired witch came back and sat down in one of the chairs next to Wesley, and sighed, holding her head.

"Urgh, these hospital people don't even know what's going on. Half of them are clueless. Though, they did say that she was stabbed with a knife, thanks a lot, because we couldn't already see that. Got anything on the symbol, Wes?"

"Not, yet. I'm trying to reference it with Celtic origins, but, I didn't really get a good look at it, and I can't get in there, now. When's Buffy coming?"

"Should be here soon, I called her half and hour ago."

"Oh."

Sitting down next to Gunn, Angel stared at the coffee table that held a clutter of magazines.

"You know, I really think we should be sticking together, I'm gonna go find Cordelia and Conner."

"Okay."

As Angel walked away, Gunn leaned back in his chair and sighed.

"He's uptight lately."

"Heard that!"

Gunn shrank in his seat as Angel called over his shoulder. Wesley waited until he was out of sight, to sit up and face the others.

"Maybe it's this whole Conner and Cordelia thing, I mean, Conner's Angel's son, and he's sleeping with his mother-figure, and now, she's mystically pregnant, it's bound to be stressful for Angel."

"Yeah, that'd kinda freak me out too, wait, it is freaking me out. It was just a couple months ago he was spitting up, now. . .ew."

Wesley looked at the tile floor as Gunn said this, and then, stood.

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I have to use the restroom."

Walking away from them, and leaving and awkward silence, Wesley went to the restroom and splashed his face, looking at himself in the mirror. He seemed tired, not old, just tired. A moment later, the door opened again. He couldn't see who it was, but he heard the lock click a couple seconds after they entered.

Stealthily bending down and acting like he was tying his shoes, he drew his dagger from it's sheath on his ankle, though was surprised when a hand was in his hair, gently playing with it.

"Faith."

"Hey, thought you could use some company."

"Well, how thoughtful, but I'm done."

Placing his dagger back in its sheath, and standing, Wes was pushed against the wall, and Faith kissed him. Kissing her back for a moment, and then, pushing her off, Wesley went to the door, and unlocked it.

"I said I'm done."

Before he could open the door, Faith had her hand on it.

"So, what was last night, Wes?"

"A good time, blowing off some steam, friends, or rather, people who can barely stand one another, with benefits, whatever you want it to be, Faith, that's what it was. It's over now, though."

"You. . .used me?"

Almost laughing, Faith looked at her former Watcher with amusement, though, she felt like a broken mirror inside.

"You used me?"

"Perhaps, if that's what you want it to be."

Pushing him against the wall again, Faith smiled, wryly.

"And what are you thinking of it as, Wes?"

Grinning, he took her hand off the door, and walked back into the lobby. Why had he just blown her off? Didn't he feel something last night? Of course, he had been upset about Lilah, and Faith was there, and the opportunity to let go of some of his emotions was too good to pass up.

Had he felt something real, though? Perhaps. . .love? Not love, but lust? There had been so much lust, he just wanted to have sex with her, or had he wanted to make love to her? Had he wanted it for awhile?

His short brain rant was cut off as he spotted Buffy, Giles, and a gang of girls that hardly looked like well-trained soldiers of evil, talking with Gunn, Fred, Willow, and Angel, who Wesley guessed had found Cordy and Conner, because they were sitting together, brooding in Wesley's old seat.

"Buffy."

"Wesley?"

"Yes."

"Wow, I mean, WOW!"

She smiled as she hugged him, loosely, and then let go.

"Wow."

"So I've heard."

"You've changed. . .a lot. . .for the better, of course."

"Told ya he was the Marlboro Man!"

Buffy smiled to Willow, and Giles approached Wesley, and held out his hand.

"Nice to see you again."

"Thank you. You, too."

It was a little awkward, but focus soon turned to Conner, and Wesley was out of the lime-light. Moments later, Faith joined them, and to Wesley shock, it appeared as if she had been crying.

"Faith."

"Hey, B."

"What are you doing here?"

"Nothing much, just you know, fighting evil, kicking ass, and taking names."

"Oh, so, how was jail?"

"New experience, grew old quick."

"Oh."

"Well, Buffy, why don't you fill us in on this First Evil on our way to your house."

"Yeah, good idea. We parked in the parking garage, so, Angel, you should be okay. Lola, Susan, you stay here, and guard her room in case that creep comes back to finish his job, call the house as soon as that girl wakes up."

"Okay."

"Good."

Wesley picked up his books off the hospital floor, glancing at Faith, who was staring at him, and then following the others down to the parking garage.

"I can't wait to hear about this uber-vampire, it should be interesting."

"Yeah, well, first, you have to meet the girls."

"Exactly how many are there?"

"Thirty, forty, give or take a few."

Exchanging glances, the Fang Gang continued to follow Buffy. Faith, on the other hand, stopped and glanced in the room where the wounded girl lie, sleeping. Faith knew that pain. The eternal sleep.

"You'll get better, I promise."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Aw, Wesley won't give into his feelings. Well, that might just have to change. Okay, now, next chapter. . .meeting the girls, and training. Plus, what does Cordy have up the sleeve of her icky black maternity dress? I wonder? Oh, and are more of our 'friends' coming? Of course, it's a Scoobie/Fang Gang party!


	3. Wes is Best

Disclaimer: I own Aurelius, Alexia, and Hope, but that's it.

When we last left our heroes, they had just met up with Buffy at the hospital after they saved a potential, and Wesley was denying his feelings about Faith. Will the Fang Gang be able to settle their differences with the Scoobies in time for the big battle? Will Wesley just let himself fall for Faith? I hope so.

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Stepping into the house, Wesley was surprised, a lot of things had changed since he had been here almost four and a half years ago. Of course, he hadn't gotten a very good look back then, but he was sure there weren't at least fifteen girls camped out in the living room floor on his last visit.

"So, this is your base of operations?"

"Yeah, we're totally committed to kicking this thing's ass. Nothing gets in the way of training."

"Oh, Buffy, I'm glad your home, I made cookies. You better get in there quick, though, because those little slayers are eating them up."

"Oh, cookies. What kind?"

"Chocolate chip. What's with the Dark Avenger, and who are these people? I didn't slave all day over a hot oven just so you could bring home more dinner guests, Buffy, you don't know how hard it is. . .!"

"Andrew, Andrew, don't blow a fuse, this is Angel, you know, vampire Angel, the one everyone's been talking about coming for the last week, and this is Faith, Wesley, Gunn, Fred, Cordelia, and Angel's son, Connor."

"Oh, well, why don't you step into the kitchen and enjoy some cookies. I made them from scratch, you know, that Martha Stewart really knows what she's talking about, but I found that if you grease the cookie sheet. . ."

"That's great, Andrew."

Stepping past him, Buffy rolled her eyes, and went into the kitchen, where at least twenty girls were standing around, talking, laughing, and eating cookies. Everything got quite, however, when Buffy came in with their guests.

"Who are they?"

It was a tall, tough-looking black girl that spoke up from the corner of the kitchen.

"This is Angel, Faith, Wesley, Cordelia, Charles Gunn, Winifred Burkle, and Angel's son, Connor."

"So, reinforcements."

"Yes."

"She's a Slayer."

"The second, and only one after Buffy."

The girls looked at their new house guests with interest, especially the tall, dark vampire.

"So. . .they're staying here?"

"Well, some of them, some of them are staying at Xander's."

"Oh, but. . .uh. . .Angel's staying here?"

Catching on to what the girls were asking, Buffy signaled to Kennedy to take them back outside and resume training.

"Alright, maggots, let's go."

Rounding them up, she took them back outside, leaving Buffy, the Fang Gang, and Faith, alone.

"They're a motley crew."

"They need to be trained."

"Well, looks like that drill sergeant has it under control."

"Kennedy?"

"She's one of the first potentials we found. It gives her power over the other girls."

"Well, not when I get a hold of them. Do you train at night?"

"Yeah, in the cemetery with. . ."

"What the bloody Hell is this lot doing here?"

Looking at what had been the empty basement doorway, Angel found a platinum-blonde vampire looking at them.

"Spike."

"Nice to see ya again, Peaches."

"What's he doing here?"

Ready to attack his childe any moment, Angel looked to Buffy, to find that she was completely calm.

"He's here because I need him here. He has a soul."

"He. . .what?"

Angel looked to Wesley, and then Cordelia, both seemed just as surprised as he was.

"You mean. . ."

"I'm almost a real boy, just like Peaches here."

Before Angel could stop himself, he was throwing Spike down the stairs, and going after him. The rest of the gang quickly followed, hoping to break it up before it got really ugly.

"Angel, what's wrong with you?"

Wesley pulled Angel off Spike as the rest clambered down the stairs. Buffy helped Spike to his feet, and looked at Angel, indignantly.

"What the Hell?"

"I. . .he. . .I'm the Shanshu, he's not. . .and he called me Peaches."

"Angel! I think we should do some research on this before we jump to conclusions."

"Well. . .research it."

Looking over, Angel saw Xander, and a girl with light brown, almost blonde hair sitting amongst ten girls, and pointing to a flow chart.

"Um. . .it's nice to see you again, Angel."

"Xander."

"This is Anya, she's an ex-vengeance demon, and these. . .well, these are impressionable little minds who just saw you kick the shit out of Spike."

"Nice to meet you."

"You really did kick the shit out of Spike, you know, sometimes that's considered rude."

"Yeah."

Turning on his heel, Angel went back upstairs, ignoring Buffy asking if Spike was alright. Wesley and Faith glanced at each other for a moment, then, quickly looked away, and followed him upstairs.

"Angel."

"What?"

Wesley could see how distressed his friend was.

"Don't worry, he might. . .you're still the Shanshu."

"How do I know that!"

"Think about it. Has Spike saved the world?"

"I don't know, why don't you ask Buffy. I'm sure she'd be glad to tell you."

"Of for. . .Angel stop brooding over B. Honestly, how long ago was this?"

"A love like ours doesn't die!"

Wesley rolled his eyes, and grabbed the bag he had brought along that contained his books. He needed to research, as his plate did seem awfully full. Walking into the dining room, he sat down, ready to research, but he couldn't stop thinking. . .about Faith.

He hadn't stopped thinking about her since they left his bedroom. Why couldn't he just let himself love. . .like. . .lust after her? Turning, he found that they had assembled themselves in the kitchen, and were now talking over something.

Watching Faith, his blue eyes scanned her face, so, light, pale, and yet, so beautiful. Her brown eyes gleamed with threat, but he knew they could hold love, or what he thought was love. Her brown hair, wavy, and soft, fell onto her shoulders.

Then, his eyes scanned down her body to her chest and breasts, then to her butt and finally her toned legs. She was so beautiful, and he could feel himself getting rather excited just thinking about her.

"Wesley, you're catching flies."

Snapping out of his daydream, and looking up into the face of Buffy, whom he hadn't realized had entered the room a moment previous. Covering his groin with a book, he looked up into her face to make sure she hadn't seen anything.

"I was just. . .thinking."

"Yeah. . ."

She didn't say anything, but Wesley was sure he heard a hint of amusement in her voice.

". . .well, Willow, Faith, and I are going back to the hospital, they just called and said the girl, Shannon, was awake."

"Oh, that's. . .that's excellent."

"Yeah, are you alright?"

"Oh, me? Just hot. . .I mean, it's. . .I didn't sleep much last night."

"Well, you guys can work out who's sleeping where, some of you can stay here, and some can go to Xander's."

"Right, well, have fun at the hospital. . .I mean, get information."

"Okay."

Just then, Faith and Willow came in.

"Hey, Wes, you okay?"

"Yes, I'm just. . .I might go take a nap."

"Right. Couch is free."

"Wonderful."

Standing, with the book still covering him, Wesley hurried off to the living room, and Buffy and Willow exchanged glances, then, looked at Faith.

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing at all."

Walking away with smug smiles on their faces, the girls left Faith behind to look after Wesley for a moment, but only a moment.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Wesley walked into his hallway, seeing the discarded clothing on the floor, and smiled to himself. Walking a little faster, but careful not to spill any champagne, he made it to his bedroom to find the bed empty. Sitting the glasses on the bedside table, he looked around, confused.

Then, he heard it, the shower was going. Oh, so, she wanted to make this a little hotter, or colder, he smiled again. Faith always wanted things her way when they were together, and Wesley wouldn't have it any other way.

Stepping into the bathroom, he he took off his belt, then, his pants and boxers. He couldn't see her because of the steam, but he knew she was in there. Pulling off his sweater, he threw it, sending it hurling through the hair, and landing in the sink.

Opening the glass door, he winced, slightly, as the hot spray hit his back. After a moment he got used to it, though, and then, he began searching for her.

Feeling along the wall, he was greeted by nothing but heat, and then, he felt it. Her hand on his back, gently snaking its way up to his chest, and her lips were on his back in a moment.

"Hm. . .didn't think I'd ever find you."

Suddenly, there was a girl looking down at Wesley, then another and another, and then he heard the giggles. Opening his eyes, and sitting straight up, Wesley looked around to see the potentials all giggling at him.

"Hm. . .didn't think I'd ever find you."

As a small Asian girl said this in her accent, the other girls cracked up.

"I-I. . .should you be training or something?"

Looking around for assistance, he only found that Xander and Giles were standing in the doorway, a grin playing at the edges of their mouths.

"Not one word."

"Now, why would we. . ."

Giles couldn't continue for fear of cracking up. Wesley sighed, and stood after checking with his lower body that it was okay.

"So. . .uh, are Buffy, Faith, and Willow back, yet?"

"Actually, that's why we were coming to get you."

"Oh, they have news."

"Yes, it seems we're going for a battle. Buffy and Faith are scouting with Angel and Spike, now. Fred and Charles took Cordelia and Connor to get some medical supplies, and Willow's working on a barrier spell."

"Why didn't they wake. . .?"

"Faith thought it was a good idea to let you sleep."

"Oh."

Looking around at the giggling girls, Wesley blushed and turned back to Giles.

"Did they say when they'd be back?"

"Soon. They told us to round up the girls and get them equipped with weapons. Would you care to assist?"

"Certainly, but. . .first I uh. . .I'm going to go. . .uh. . .freshen up a bit."

Hurrying upstairs, Wesley blushed, again. He knew who he had been dreaming about, and he promised he'd never fall asleep on the couch, again. Perhaps, he could talk to Faith. . .after the battle.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Next chapter, bloody battle, Wes/Faith talking, and well. . .more craziness, and oh, what's that Cordelia? You're plotting against your own friends? Oh my!


	4. Revelations

Disclaimer: I own Alexia, Aurelius, and Hope, the other's belong to Joss, and the cool kids.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Last time. . .our heroes were having some complications. . .well, at least Wesley was. Now, they're preparing for battle. Are they ready? Will sparks fly? Probably, but that could be the wiring and stuff, old wineries aren't really safe. I mean, uh. . .read on!

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Laying on the bed, Cordelia stroked her pregnant belly, absentmindedly. Thoughts were zooming through her head at the speed of light. What was she supposed to do? She couldn't have her friends meddling in her affairs, and Wesley was bound to figure something out sooner or later. Of course, if she could just keep them busy long enough, she would be able to have her baby, and then, there would be no stopping her.

"Hey, I brought you some ice cream, like you asked."

Looking up, she saw Connor standing in the doorway, a carton of double-chocolate ice cream in one hand, and a spoon in the other.

"Thanks, I was getting hungry."

"I know."

"How?"

"You're always cranky when you're hungry."

Smiling, Cordelia took a bite out of the ice cream. Poor Connor. She had to admit, the kid was easy to manipulate. After all, he didn't know what real love was, so, when Cordelia took notice of him, he thought nothing out of the ordinary, but rather jumped at the chance to please someone. After all, Daddy Angel didn't seem too thrilled with his son at the moment.

"What are they doing, downstairs?"

"Planning. That girl, Buffy, wants to attack the place where this First Evil is."

"She does?"

"Yeah, my dad and all the others are going."

"Aren't you?"

"I need to stay here, with you."

"No, you don't."

Looking up at Connor, Cordy could tell her sharp words had wounded him, and tried to make up for it by stroking his cheek.

"I mean, no, I'm fine here. The others need you more than me."

"But. . ."

"Connor, I wouldn't want anything to happen to those poor girls, because you weren't there to help protect them. I'd feel awful. Do you want me to feel awful?"

"No. . .I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking about. . .I'm sorry."

"No, no, it's okay, you didn't understand. I love you, Connor, but I'll be fine."

Leaning in, she kissed him, softly, then stroked her stomach.

"You, and our baby."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Downstairs, Buffy was withdrawing a sword from the weapons cabinet. A million thoughts raced through her mind, however. Was now the right time? Was she putting these girls in danger? Why did she question herself, so much? Wasn't the Slayer just supposed to know? Faith always seemed like she knew the right answers. Of course, Faith had been in trouble so often, Buffy knew better than to assume all of Faith's decisions were correct.

"Are you okay?"

Looking up, she discovered Wesley had come into the basement, and apparently, her face was showing a little too much of what she was feeling inside.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just. . ."

"Confused."

Taking out a crossbow, he gave her a sideways glance.

"Yeah, I mean, no, I'm not. . ."

Cutting herself off, Buffy watched him. He seemed to be thinking about the right thing to say, though she wasn't sure if he was going to find it, or if she'd even like to hear it. Taking the sword, she began to walk away.

"You have every right to be, you know?"

Turning, she found he had found what he needed to say, and now, she had to hear it.

"Yeah, I know."

He took a step towards her, and she felt like his blue eyes were cutting into her, into her face, then into her brain. Did he know what she was thinking?

"But I don't think you do, Buffy. You're the Slayer, the Chosen One. . ."

"Yeah, we've been through this, Wes, not really wanting to. . ."

"But not just Slayers have to make hard decisions. You're a woman, Buffy, barely, but still. You're human. You have a heart and a conscious, and you know what you have to do. That's something I've always admired about you, even in Sunnydale, but I must ask, are you agreeing with yourself, now?"

"You know. . .I mean, we have to our stand, they're ready."

Looking up at him, she felt something different inside her, they were ready, she was ready, it was time they did this, it was time to fight.

"They're ready. We're all ready."

"Good, I'm glad."

Walking past her, he gave her an approving nod, then disappeared up the stairs, stopping halfway up, but not turning to face her.

Following him a moment later, Buffy discovered that her troops were assembled in the kitchen, armed and ready to fight.

"Lets go, then."

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Half an hour later, they were all divided into three groups. Buffy and Spike headed the first group, which would be storming in first, then, Faith, Wesley, and Angel with the second group that would be following them, and Xander, Giles, Gunn, and Connor in the last, which would be a safety if things started going horribly wrong.

Standing next to Faith made Wesley so much more nervous. He could feel her warmth against him, and then, the cold stone wall he was leaning on his other side. Her brown eyes watched as Buffy and Spike's group filed into the winery, and Wesley could tell she was preparing herself for the sight that would greet them when they rushed in.

"Are you okay?"

"Five by five, why do you ask?"

He could hear the ice in her voice, and knew pushing his luck would probably be unwise, but still, he had been feeling regret for what he said to her in the bathroom at the hospital. She wasn't some animal, she was Faith, she was his. . .well, he was a little confused at the time as to what exactly she was to him, but he knew it was more than an animal or one-night-stand.

"I just wanted to make sure, we'd get through this, together."

Looking at him, she squinted her eyes.

"Why?"

"I don't know, probably because I don't want you hurt."

"Looking for a little more action?"

Narrowing his eyes, he felt the ice return to his veins. Why did she insist on saying the worst possible things at the worst possible times? Couldn't she tell he was being genuine?

"Maybe."

"Thought so."

Suddenly, she began running at a sprint towards the winery. Stunned for a moment, Wesley realized they were on, and went racing after her, some of the potentials behind him.

When he entered, the sight that greeted him almost sent him on all fours. He could smell the blood, and there were bodies strewn all over the dirt floor, both sides had casualties.

"Wesley, watch out!"

Turning just in time to dodge a blow from a robed-man, Wesley drove his sword through his assailant's chest, and then turned, slashing at anything that came at him.

He could see his friends all around, some were fighting two or even three of the hooded men at a time, but he wasn't interested in them, they were all doing fine, it was Faith he was looking for, and a moment later, his eyes found her.

She was fighting a priest, but Wesley knew by the symbol on the man's ring, he was the one who had wounded the girl in the truck. Hurrying across the battle, he was stopped when he picked up a fallen potential's battle. The next time he looked up, he couldn't find Faith.

A moment later, however, he realized that some of the girls were starting to run. Turning he saw Buffy heading his way, then, she ran right past him. Turning, he saw the priest Faith had been fighting now had Xander by the throat, and the boy seemed to be missing an eye.

Panicking, he pushed through the fleeing girls, passing Connor and Gunn as well, but not stopping. He had to find her! Suddenly, he slipped on something, crashing to the floor with a sharp pain shooting up his back.

Rolling over, and trying to recover, he came face-to-face with the person he had been looking for.

"Faith."

She was bleeding but he couldn't tell where the wound was. All he knew was that he had to get her out of there, now! Putting his arm under her, he lifted her, cautiously.

"Shh, it's going to be alright."

"Wes."

Collapsing against him, exhausted, she was glad he hadn't abandoned her. Hurrying into the pale moonlight, Wesley rushed to the cover of the woods. The others, what was left of their small army, must have retreated to Buffy's house. He had lost track of Buffy in his hurry. Was she alright? Groaning from beside him brought him back to the matter at hand.

"Faith, where are you hurt?"

"My back, one of those. . .hooded guys. . .damn, it hurts."

Taking a deep breathe, and knowing what he had to do, Wesley took off her jacket then lifted her shirt. She had been stabbed, but the wound wasn't too deep, he could mend it with stitches. Lifting her, again, he took off for safety.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Half an hour later, when he stepped through the threshold of Buffy's house, he knew something was wrong. The house was empty, no one was to be seen. Though, he didn't have time to dwell on this, Wesley could feel Faith's blood soaking through his shirt sleeve, and knew he had to do something about it, right now.

Taking her upstairs, he gently laid her on Buffy's bed, and then hurried into the bathroom, grabbing a warm washcloth and the First Aid kit. Upon returning, though, he found her standing, and putting her jacket back on, although pain was written clearly all over her face.

"Faith, you shouldn't be. . ."

"I have to find B, and the others, they need m. . ."

"You're injured."

"I'm fine."

"If you go out there, you'll be killed!"

Narrowing her eyes, and forgetting his act of friendship, she pushed him out of her way, roughly.

"Why the hell do you care?"

Surprised when he grab her, forcefully, Faith spun around, looking into his deep blue eyes, then, the stars came crashing down on her as he pulled her close and kissed her so passionately she could feel the heat in both their bodies and forgot all about the pain in her back.

"Because I love you."

Taking advantage of her stunned state, he sat her on the bed, retrieving the First Aid kit, and stripping off her jacket and shirt, only pausing when he got to her bra, which he needed to remove in order to clean and mend her wound, but for some reason he found this incredibly awkward.

"You. . .you love me?"

Looking down to discover she had finally snapped out of her daze, he sat down beside her, and looked at the floor, then into her big brown eyes.

"I. . ."

"Cause, I mean, what the hell happened to one-night-stand, friends, or people who can barely stand each other, with benefits? Of course, I'm not saying I miss that, but love? Wes, I. . .you. . .we. . .we're really screwed up people. There's no way we could. . .love one another."

"Perhaps, but then why do I feel like I need you? I've been thinking about you, and watching you, and. . .dreaming about you. . .I can't stop, and it's driving me absolutely insane, which might actually be an improvement compared to the state I'm in now."

"You. . .dream about me?"

"It's a long. . .embarrassing. . .yes, yes, I do!"

Pausing a moment, she looked away from him and began fiddling with her hands. Turning back to face him, she found something that resembled need in his eyes, then, she took the plunge. Kissing him, softly, completely aware of her back, she ran her hands through his hair, and down his back. When she pulled back, she kept her face inches from his, not being able to bear not being close to him.

"Well, that's a little screwed up."

"We're screwed up people, though, Faith."

"This is true, but doesn't that make the sex all the better?"

"Mm, it does. It makes the sex better, the kisses better, the touches better, and the every waking moment I spend with you better."

Pausing to kiss her between each of these statements, Wesley unfastened her bra.

"But I don't think that will be happening, tonight, you need to rest, and I need to stitch that wound."

Complying, and lying down on the bed, Faith rested her head on her arms, and thought about what had just happened, the revelation of what had just happened sinking in fast. She and Wesley, Slayer and Watcher, lovers. Smiling to herself, she turned her head slightly, so she could see him cleaning the blood off her back with the washcloth.

"What about the dreams? I wonder if they'll be better."

"Oh, I'm sure they'll be ten times better, now."

Kissing her shoulder blade, Wesley smiled, then went back to his task.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Aw, so they're a couple, now! How will this effect the rest of the gang. I'm glad they didn't do anything on Buffy's bed, or maybe Faith will heal before morning, who knows. Oh, and what is Cordy planning? Where is she?


End file.
